Communications system

A network according to claim 9, wherein

• said first and second signals further include a predetermined number of preamble bits having the same binary value indicating the beginning of a data packet, and
• said fourth means includes
• fifth means coupled to said pair of correlators to detect a given number of said predetermined number of said preamble bits,
• sixth means coupled to said pair of correlators to detect predetermined binary conditions of a given number of bits disposed at the beginning of each frame of said data packet, and
• seventh means coupled to said pair of correlators to detect the highest correlation peak at the output of said pair of correlators,
• said fifth, sixth and seventh means cooperating to synchronize said first receiver to said first transmitter transmitting said combined data and spreading code received by said first receiver.

A long distance communication system comprising:

• a plurality of transceivers disposed in a given geographic area, each of said plurality of transceivers having at least one unidirectional antenna, a first transmitter coupled to said unidirectional antenna to transmit first signals at a first frequency to others of said plurality of transceivers according to a predetermined protocol and a first receiver coupled to said unidirectional antenna to receive second signals at a second frequency from said others of said plurality of transceivers according to said predetermined protocol, said first and second frequencies being different;
• and
• a relay transceiver disposed in said geographic area having an omnidirectional antenna, each of said unidirectional antennas of said plurality of transceivers being in focused communication with said omnidirectional antenna, a second receiver coupled to said omnidirectional antenna to receive said first signal according to said predetermined protocol and a second transmitter coupled to said second receiver and said omnidirectional antenna to convert said first signals to said second signals and to transmit said second signals to said others of said plurality of transceivers according to said predetermined protocol;
• each of said first and second signals including digital data combined with a single predetermined pseudo-random spreading code having N bits common to all of said plurality of transceivers, where N equals a predetermined number greater than two.